Coming Back
by Caia Caecilia
Summary: Another job goes wrong.


Title – Coming Back

Author – Caia Caecilia

Rating – PG

Pairing – One/Three – pre-slash

Disclaimer : All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note – Inspired by the fic 'Shoot First (Ask Questions Later)' by Strawberrywaltz.

 **Coming Back**

The job had gone south really quickly, which seemed to be the norm for most of their jobs. It was supposed to be a quick in and out, steal some gizmo for their client from a lightly guarded facility. The only complication being that a dampening field surrounded the building for some miles which meant their radios wouldn't work. Of course the 'lightly guarded facility' had turned out to crawling with security who all had a decidedly shoot first ask questions later attitude.

They had split up as soon as the shooting had started and it had become obvious that they were heavily outnumbered. Three took off for the nearby tree-line, he could hear someone else running behind him but wasn't stopping to see who it was. That was until he heard the tell-tale grunt and thud of a body hitting the ground and he realised whoever it was had been hit.

He had made it to the nearby woods and so had some cover and stopped and turned not surprised when he saw One face down but already struggling to get up. Everything in Three screamed at him to _'run, get out of there, run and not look back'_. It was a few seconds of hesitation, as bullets whizzed by him, before with a muttered,

"Shit," he fired wildly back at their attackers hoping it would be enough to persuade them to keep their heads down.

One was already half way to his feet, his face screwed up in a grimace of pain, and Three didn't waste any time in grabbing his shoulder and hauling him the rest of the way to his feet. Ignoring the sharp cry of pain One made, Three put his right arm around his waist and with One's left arm thrown over his shoulder he supported him as they both ran into the trees.

Three knew they had to make it to the open ground beyond the woods to get beyond the dampening field so they could communicate with the Raza and get picked up. Two and Four had been on the mission with him and One and Three had no doubt that those two had made a clean get away, and unlike some mercenaries he'd apparently worked with in the past, he knew they wouldn't leave him and One behind.

Three had actually managed to convince himself that it would be okay, that One wasn't too badly hurt and they'd manage to keep ahead of their pursuers for long enough to make it. He ignored the warm liquid he felt oozing out between his fingers from where he held One around the waist, and the small whimpers of pain which came from One's throat, and the smell of blood that tinged the air around them. However, he gradually couldn't ignore the fact that they were slowing down and he was supporting more and more of One's weight. Finally, the adrenalin which had flooded One's body inspiring the 'fight or flight' reflex faded and One stumbled and pulled them both down to the ground.

Three rolled away from One and knelt up, looking down at the younger man. One's face was pale and his breathing came in harsh gasps. Three reached out and pulled One's jacket open and saw the entire right side of his white shirt clung to his body, soak red with blood.

"I have to look'" he said to One, who nodded and braced himself.

Three pulled the shirt up to reveal a bullet hole in his lower right side, and rolling One slightly he saw the corresponding entry wound in his back. Releasing One he said,

"It's through and through so at least we don't have to worry about a bullet rattling around inside you, but we need to get this bleeding under control."

"You don't have time. Leave me, I'll just slow you down." One gasped, trying to push Three's hands away.

Three started to take off his jacket, and chuckled saying, "Oh yeah, and have to tell Two I left her boy-toy behind, I don't think so. She hand my balls to me before she pushed me out an airlock."

"I'm not her 'boy-toy,'" One protested.

"What, trouble in paradise?" Three asked.

"No...no, it's complicated and anyway it's none of your..." One stopped mid-sentence when he realised that Three had taken off his jacket and was stripping off his shirt and the tee-shirt he had on underneath. "What are you doing?" He asked, frowning up at the other man.

Three pulled his jacket back on and zipped it up. Smirking at One he held up his discarded clothes, "Don't worry Pretty Boy your virtue's safe...bandages." Then he proceeded to tear his tee-shirt in half.

Three scrubbed his hands against his trousers trying to get as much of One's blood off them as possible, and he tried to push the memory out of his mind of One biting his lips as he tried to stop himself from crying out as Three used his tee-shirt as a dressing pressed into the bullet wound front and back and secured tightly in place with his shirt.

"That should slow the bleeding down." Three said, "But we need to get you back to the Raza. We need to get beyond the dampening field and contact the ship."

"Do you think they're following us?" One asked.

"Oh, yeah," Three replied, "they'll want to know who we are. I'm guessing they're waiting for orders before following us into the trees but they'll be following alright. We just need to make sure we stay ahead of them, so come on."

Hauling One to his feet once more, Three again supported him as they began their desperate flight through the trees. They hadn't gone far when the heavens opened and rain began pouring down.

"Perfect." Three muttered, before adding, "at least it might help to make our trail harder to follow."

They actually got further than Three thought they would before One's legs finally gave out on him and he stopped pulling Three to a halt too.

Gasping, One muttered, "stop...I need to stop."

"Okay, we can rest up, but not for long." Three replied.

Lowering One down to the ground until he sat leaning back against a tree Three stood and began pacing, itching to keep moving but well aware that One couldn't keep up.

"Leave me." One said looking up at Three, watching him restlessly pacing.

"I thought we'd been through this." Three replied, not looking at him and not stopping his pacing.

"You know you want to...and it makes sense. I can't keep up, I'm just slowing you down...and...and I'm probably going to die anyway so..."

Three stopped and turned to look down at One, rain running down his face Three reached up and pushed his wet hair back off his forehead before replying.

"Stop being such a whinny arse little girl. I'm not leaving you here so..."

"I can't walk anymore." One interrupted him.

Taking a step towards him Three replied forcefully, "Then I'll carry you."

"You'll kill me then." One replied, adding quickly, "I'm losing too much blood and every step is making it worse, even if you could carry me the jostling will have the same effect. You have to leave me. You'll move faster and be able to get help. I'm slowing you down and that'll get us both killed. You know I'm right."

One let his head fall back against the tree trunk behind him and closed his eyes for a moment, the last speech he'd made exhausting him. He jumped when a moment later he felt Three's hand against his cheek and opening his eyes found himself staring directly into Three's eyes as he'd moved to kneel in front of him.

"Keep your head down and stay alive, I'm coming back for you." Three told him, and then he stood up and was gone.

One watched him for as long as he could until Three was swallowed up amongst the trees and it was just him and the rain left. He had to clamp his mouth shut to stop himself from calling out and begging Three to come back, to not leave him here to die all alone in the rain.

One didn't know how much time had passed but it must have hours because the light had begun to fade and the rain had stopped. He must have fallen asleep or passed out, and something had awoken him . He shivered feeling cold and hot at the same time, his head felt woozy and he wasn't sure if it was from blood loss or fever or a combination of both. He guessed his wound had become infected but decided he would probably bled out long before that would become life-threatening.

Three hadn't returned with help and One was surprised to realised that despite everything he knew about the guy he really had believed him when he'd promised he would.

Just then he heard what had probably awoken him, voices getting closer, their pursuers finally catching up. He fumbled at his side trying to get his gun out of its holster, determined to go down fighting. But his fingers were numb and he couldn't seem to get his body to do what he wanted it to do and he just ended up with his hand flapping uselessly against his side until he gave up with a sigh.

In a moment a shadow fell across him and looking up he was confronted with one of the facility's security guards smirking down at him aiming a gun at his head and looking for all the world like he couldn't wait to pull the trigger.

At least it would be quicker than bleeding to death One thought, and he was determined not to appear afraid, even though his heart thudded in his chest and he found it hard to swallow past the lump in his throat. He stared up into the other man's face, refusing to look away, going to meet death face on. That was why he got to watch as half the man's head exploded into a fine mist of blood and gore which splattered onto the fallen leaves behind him.

The sounds of a short, but furious fire-fight sounded beyond his sight and suddenly he knew that his crew had come for him.

Relief flooded through him and he felt everything around him begin to fade as his blood roared in his ears and his eyesight began to grey out. He sensed a presence close to him and forced his eyes open and for the second time that day he found himself looking up into Three's face as he knelt in front of him.

Also for the second time that day he felt Three's hand against his cheek, cool against his fever heated skin One couldn't stop himself from leaning into it. As his eyes began to close again One felt Three's breath against his skin as the older man leaned in close and whispered,

"I told you I'd come back for you. I'll always come back for you."


End file.
